Kelo vs. City of New London

Kelo vs. City of New London

Summary

In 2000 the City of New London used eminent domain to take privately owned land for the sake of economic development. This was appealed all the way to the Supreme court and brought up the constitutional issue of public use within the takings clause of the 5th amendment. The court ruled in a 5-4 decision that New London was not violating the takings clause.

Precedent and Historical Significance

The Supreme Court's decision set a precedent that under the takings clause of the 5th amendment the government could seize land in the name of economic development. This is important to the history of the United States because it increases the power of government significantly when regarding the seizure and taking of privately owned land.

Current and Future Significance

The outcome of Kelo vs. New London is significant currently because it means that the government can take land under the public use clause for economic development. This is a very controversial issue and some feel this puts too much power in the governments hands regarding land and is not constitutional. This case will probably have a large amount of future significance because it is very controversial and could be a major topic of debate regarding role of government regarding privately owned land.